613 Torah Avenue facts for kids
613 Torah Avenue is a series of Jewish children's audio and video albums. The very first one came out in 1977.
The series was created by Cheryle Knobel and Rivkah Neuman. They are both from Brooklyn. Rivkah Neuman was a teacher for young children. The music in the series sounds like religious Jewish music from the 1960s and 1970s.
"613 Torah Avenue" is a made-up address. It belongs to the main character, a young Jewish boy named Chaim. The number 613 is very important in Judaism. It stands for the traditional number of mitzvot (commandments) found in the Torah.
What's It About?
Each album or video in the series has a mix of short scenes and songs. The scenes are like little plays. They are usually grouped around a simple story. For example, Chaim might be walking down the street. Or he might be at a carnival or having a day at school.
In these scenes, Chaim talks and interacts with other characters. Some are people, and some are objects that act like people. Their conversations often lead into the topic of the next song. The talking parts in the scenes often rhyme, which makes them fun to listen to.
The first five albums have songs that follow the weekly parsha (Torah portions). Usually, there is one song for each parsha. Sometimes, there are two songs for one portion. Later albums cover other important topics. These include Pirkei Avot, tefillah (prayer), and the seasons of the year. They also include songs about Jewish holidays.
The melodies for the songs come from many different places. Some are from Jewish music. Others are from folk songs or popular songs.
The Albums and Videos
Here are the audio albums in the series:
- Vol. I, Songs for Chumash Bereishis (1977)
- Vol. II, Songs for Chumash Shemos (1978)
- Vol. III, Songs for Chumash Vayikra (1980)
- Vol. IV, Songs for Chumash Bamidbar (1981)
- Vol. V, Songs for Chumash Devarim (1982)
- Vol. VI, Songs for Pirkei Avos (1983)
- Vol. VII, Songs for Tefilah (1985)
- Vol. VIII, Songs for the Seasons and Yomim Tovim (1987)
Here are the video titles:
- Vol. I, Songs for Chumash Bereishis (animated)
- Vol. II, Songs for Chumash Shemos (animated)
- Vol. IV, Songs for Chumash Bamidbar (mixed live-action and animation)
- Vol. VI, Songs for Pirkei Avos (mixed live-action and animation)
- Vol. VII, Songs for Tefilah (mixed live-action and animation)
- Vol. VIII, Songs for the Seasons and Yomim Tovim (live-action)
The Theme Song
Each album usually starts and ends with a special song. It's called "It's Time to Learn Torah." The first version of this song came from Vol. I:
- It's time to learn Torah right now
- Follow me, I'll show you how
- If every one of us tries
- We will grow up great and wise
- Every Sedrah has a song and rhyme
- That you can learn in a short time
- The Torah is our guide
- By its Mitzvos we abide
